"…I wish I'd had this program when I did my PhD…"
So said one of our users when she witnessed the release of the latest version of The Observer last year. With a host of new features, this upgrade undoubtedly strengthened The Observer's position as the most advanced tool for observational research. As ever, though, research and technology continue to evolve. Based on the latest user requests and state-of-the-art technology, we have therefore created The Observer 5.0. Alongside all the features that made the previous version a success, we have now added a number of new functions that will help to increase the efficiency of behavioral observations and analysis.

First of all it is now possible to connect a digital camcorder directly to a notebook via a FireWire interface (IEEE 1394). This creates new possibilities when mobility is required during observations as well as detailed coding and analysis. The Observer 5.0 offers a complete mobile and compact solution for on-site research. Also, generating highlight clips, by connecting a camcorder or VCR to your PC or notebook, is very easy and allows to create digital media files in no time. All it takes is a few key strokes. With The Observer 5.0, videos can be archived on DVDs and it is also possible to score directly from DVD media. Stuck with piles of VHS tapes? Life is much easier with digital media files. They can be created by using an encoder in your PC or notebook.

With The Observer's new add-on module: dual MPEG Encoding, the quality of observations can be improved by using two video images,. This module allows to record and score from two video streams at once. The two video signals are saved in separate media files. The Observer ensures that the encoding is synchronized and starts automatically at the very moment the observation starts. That way, there are no worries about timing issues.

To present results immediately after finishing your observation, the Report Generator can be of precious help. This is another usefull new add-on module to The Observer 5.0, creating a customized report is easy. Depending on what is needed, The Observer can automatically add information about the set-up, methods or results, plus relevant video snapshots, logo, or other references.  

We have added a number of other useful functions, amongst others in the data selection and analysis functions. For example, it is now easy to create nesting conditions for analyzing events by subject/behavior combination, or calculate the number of times a certain behavior occurs across a series of observations. Finally The Observer now includes a backup and restore function, making it much easier to transfer and distribute your Observer projects.

As mentioned at the beginning, The Observer 5.0 has been created based on user requests and state-of-the-art technology. Several of the new features are unique and not available in any other observational system. Therefore we are confident to call The Observer 5.0 another first from Noldus!

For more information, please contact our sales department.